Ezra 7 · עזרא

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaĥshasta king of Paras, ῾Ezra the son of Seraya, the son of ῾Azarya, the son of Ḥilqiyya,

the son of Shallum, the son of Żadoq, the son of Aĥituv,

the son of Amarya, the son of ῾Azarya, the son of Merayot,

the son of Zeraĥya, the son of ῾Uzzi, the son of Buqqi,

the son of Avishua, the son of Pineĥas, the son of El῾azar, the son of Aharon the chief priest: –

this ῾Ezra went up from Bavel; and he was a ready scribe in the Tora of Moshe, which the Lord God of Yisra᾽el had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

And there went up some of the children of Yisra᾽el, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, to Yerushalayim, in the seventh year of Artaĥshasta the king.

And he came to Yerushalayim in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

For upon the first day of the first month was the beginning of the going up from Bavel, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Yerushalayim, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

For ῾Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Tora of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Yisra᾽el statutes and judgments.

Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaĥshasta gave to ῾Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Yisra᾽el.

Artaĥshasta, king of kings, to ῾Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, a perfect man. And now,

I make a decree, that all they of the people of Yisra᾽el, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own freewill to go up to Yerushalayim, may go with thee.

For thou art sent by the king, and by his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Yehuda and Yerushalayim, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand;

and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Yisra᾽el, whose habitation is in Yerushalayim,

and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Bavel, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Yerushalayim:

that thou mayst buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Yerushalayim.

And whatever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

And the vessels that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, deliver before the God of Yerushalayim.

And what more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.

And I, even I Artaĥshasta the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the river, that whatever ῾Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with diligence,

up to a hundred talents of silver, and up to a hundred measures of wheat, and up to a hundred bats of wine, and up to a hundred bats of oil, and salt without prescribed limit.

Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be speedily done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

We also notify you, that as regards any of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, servants, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.

And thou, ῾Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach them who do not know them.

And whoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be with diligence executed upon him, whether it be for death, or for banishment, or for confiscation of goods, or for imprisonment.

Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Yerushalayim:

and has given me grace before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Yisra᾽el chief men to go up with me.